Some regions of Canada often suffer from hail storms that can reach large sizes. Thus, every driver should take care of their car before it gets damaged and needs repair. Below, we bring to your attention 12 tips on how to protect your car from hail damage.
12 Pro Tips To Prevent Hail Damage
Let’s look at how to prevent hail damage if your car is on the street.
1. Check the hail forecast
When you are going somewhere or relaxing at home, you can check the weather forecasts for hail and storms. Of course, you can’t be one hundred percent sure, but if there is hail, you will protect your car from unwanted damage.
2. Buy a hail protection cover
You can purchase a special anti-hail cover that can prevent glass damage, but it won’t completely protect your car from dents in case of heavy hail. You can also buy a hail protection system, which will cost much more.
3. Fold the side mirrors
Make sure that the side mirrors are permanently closed. Although this method will not be able to protect the entire case, in this way, you can protect at least the glass part, which is the most fragile.
4. Park your car under a tree
Trees can perfectly protect your car from hail with their leaves and branches. But if, according to the weather forecast, there will be a storm, then it is better not to do this because the branches may fall from a lightning strike or strong wind.
5. Place cardboard boxes on your car
Cardboard boxes can be a handy shield for your car without you having to spend a lot of money. It’s best to use corrugated cardboard as it is more moisture-resistant. You can secure it with ropes by threading them through the roof.
6. Use blankets and car mats
Use regular blankets to protect your car from dents and cracks. You can also place car mats on the windows with the rubber part facing up; this way, you can soften the impact of hail on the surface of your car and avoid damage to the paint and glass.
7. Stock up on towels
In general, towels can serve the same role as a blanket or car mat. At the same time, you need to think carefully about how you secure them. The catch is that you’ll need a lot more towels, but this is an excellent solution if there are no other options.
8. Use soil bags
Soil isn’t a typical solution for protecting your car during a hail storm. However, bags of soil can protect your car from serious damage. Place bags of soil on fragile parts of your car, such as the sunroof, windshield, and rear window.
9. Find a covered garage
If, for some reason, you cannot cover your car with hail protection, then an indoor garage may be an excellent solution for you. Thus, you should take care to find out where such places are near you and in case of bad weather, take the car there. It’s definitely cheaper to pay a few dollars for temporary parking than to bring your vehicle to a repair shop.
10. Get hail insurance
Often, comprehensive insurance policies cover any damage your car may suffer, including hail. If you are not sure that you are protected from such cases, then you definitely need to resolve this issue with your insurance agent. If your policy does not provide reimbursement for hail repairs, it could cost you a lot.
11. Do not place stones on the body
Very often, you can come across a common mistake when car owners decide to hold blankets on the body with the help of heavy stones. Never do this because a strong gust of wind can lift loose parts of the blankets into the air, and these stones can seriously damage the car.
12. Use plywood
If you own a car with a roof rack, thin plywood may be a good hail protection solution. You can place it on the roof, which will avoid damage to the car’s roof, front, and rear. Unfortunately, this method will not protect the side parts and glass in any way. Also, secure the plywood so the wind does not blow it away and cause even more damage.
If your car is damaged by hail, Dented will help
Now you know how to protect your car from hail. We hope that all the tips we list above will help you in case of severe bad weather. Unfortunately, there are circumstances when repairs are indispensable and if your vehicle has already been damaged, you can turn to Dented for help. We will provide repairs using innovative paintless dent repair (PDR) technology, which involves quickly fixing all dents and scratches on the car body.